The Other Dark One
by 24hrdaydreamer
Summary: The gang go to rescue Henry and land not on Neverland but another island, but soon learn who Peter Pan is, and who is the other dark one? New characters, my own theory on who Peter Pan is, and OC. SORRY I didn't realize there was another fic of the same name. I haven't read it, just checked now, so assume no relation. SORRY
1. Chapter 1

Hi guys. This is my second fic (although painfully I'm having writers block and ignoring the first one), so I'm still figuring out the website. I do like the overall concept of OUAT, but I decided to add my version of what I think happens in Neverland. I hoped to finish this before the actual show came out, but we will just have to accept that I am a horrible procrastinator on all accounts.

I do ship Swan Queen, but this is a slightly different, and I still haven't decided the pairs. Introducing two new main characters, Wendy and my own OC... who I haven't named... yeah I'm a procrastinator. But I hope to at least get through a good chunk of this... I don't own anything, blah blah... and if I don't post in a year that's because of classes and exams, but I will try my hardest not to procrastinate this time (sorry other fic...) - Jay

One

The sun shone bright over the sea, making the water sparkle and nearly blinding those who looked at it. Up above the water, gulls drifted on the currents of air, occasionally plunging down like rockets, only to pull up with a fish. The peace of the water was suddenly broken by a bright green light, emanating from deep under the surface. As the light grew brighter, the water around the light began to distort, forming a swirling vortex. The birds flew away in alarm, squawking their indignation as a sudden wind picked up and the sky turned momentarily dark. As the vortex grew, and the green light shone brighter, the prow of a ship appeared from inside the vortex and rose up to the surface. A tall three-masted ship sprang up from the light before it tilted forward and landed in the waters. Immediately, the green light disappeared, and the winds slowly died down until the water was once again calm. The sun peaked out from the clouds, and soon the water looked as it had before, with the exception of the ship now riding on its surface.

On board the ship, the deck slightly wet from the spray, were six figures. Two were moving about, unfurling the large sails, and the other four were standing on the poop deck.

"I would suggest that you actually do something useful, Crocodile, but seeing as you aren't very mobile I should think you might want to go below deck and stay out of our way." Shouted a dark haired man as he pulled the jib sail tighter with his good hand, his other hand being a mere hook.

"Perhaps your hand isn't the only thing that's missing Pirate, I thought having good eyes was a requirement for steering a ship. But seeing as how we almost missed the portal, I guess not, therefore I'm steering." Sneered an older man from the helm, one hand loosely grasping the wheel, the other leaning on a cane.

"If you are both done, I think we're veering starboard. Miss Blanchard, maybe you and the Savior would both be kind enough to help?" A shorthaired woman, standing at the edge of the poop deck with a blonde haired woman, looked up.

"Regina, Emma isn't feeling well. I hardly think now is the time for her to go climbing all over those rope ladders."

"Ratlines! They're called ratlines your noble highness. Do correct me if I'm wrong, but your castle is on the water, yes? Surely you have been on a ship before?" Shouted Hook, as he finished securing the halyards.

"Well, yes, but we had a large crew made up of the royal guard." Mary Margaret said, in a slightly smaller voice. Hook, his backed turned to her, rolled his eyes.

"Hook…" Charming said to him warningly, as he walked towards him, his clothes soaked from the spray.

"Well forgive me, but running this ship is much harder with no one helping. A ship this size wasn't supposed to be a two man job." He glanced back up at the poop deck, where the rest of his traveling party stood, and his gaze fell on the blonde woman, and he smirked.

While Emma Swan had seemed to handle being on a ship for the first time fine, she now looked distinctly green. After the adrenaline rush from the recent events that lead up to their mission to rescue Henry, the reality of her exhaustion and seasickness had sunk in. Just as they had entered the vortex created by the magic bean, the wind had buffeted them so fiercely that Hook had to loosen the sails to prevent the masts from being ripped off. The sound of the flapping canvas sails and the alarming groans of the masts still rung in Emma's ears muting the sounds around her. With a groan, she put her arm over her eyes, attempting to block out the bright sunlight, and turned her head.

"Emma? Are you alright?" She heard Mary Margaret ask, and felt a slight pressure on her shoulder as Mary Margaret touched her worriedly.

"Yeah I'm fine… My head just hurts a little." Emma murmured, licking her slightly parched lips.

"Maybe we should go down to the bunks, and you can lie down." Mary Margaret suggested, but before Emma could agree, Hook broke in again.

"I wouldn't recommend that Snow White, if the Savior is feeling sick the best place for her to be is at the back of the ship. Of course, she could always stay in the captains cabin with me, it might ease her seasickness." Emma opened her eyes a crack, enough to give Hook a glare as he ascended the steps.

"Yeah right, that's so not happening." She muttered, trying to ignore the constant rocking of the ship on the waves.

They had left to rescue Henry on the spur of the moment, trying to catch up to Tamara and Greg as soon as possible, and while Emma had been at first anxious to leave now she regretted not taking some time to think, or pack. Mary Margaret, the only sensible one among them, had somehow brought along a backpack with some extra jackets and gloves. This backpack had not included, however, a change of clothes or shoes, or any food, and nothing to ail Emma's headache. Not surprisingly, no one else seemed the least bit bothered by having no luggage, Gold and Regina both able to magic their wet clothes away and supply themselves with a whole new wardrobe, and Hook's clothes were already onboard. Emma had discarded her winter woolen jacket, which had become leaden once it had been drenched in seawater. She vaguely wondered what they were going to do for food, because as far as she could see, there was no land in sight on the horizon. Voicing her concerns out loud, Emma tried not to sound whiny, but she couldn't help grimace over her tone, which was reminiscent of an unhappy child on a long road trip.

"So, how long until we reach Neverland anyway? I thought the portal would, you know, plop us down right next to it. Since we can't see Greg or Tamara then they must have appeared closer to the island." Before Mary Margaret could answer consolingly, or Hook with a smart remark, it was Regina who beat them both too it.

"We have to consider Miss Swan that although what might have seemed like moments for us between when Greg and Tamara left and when we did, might have been days." There was a long pause, and the only sound was the sound of the gulls' overhead and the slapping of the water against the hull.

"Meaning?" Emma asked, although she was pretty sure she already knew. Regina wasn't looking at her; she was staring intently at the magical globe they had been using to cross to Neverland. The globe had changed from a world globe of the Earth, to a zoomed in version of a group of islands, with nothing else around them.

"Meaning, that a week could have gone by in those few minutes in the portal. They could already be at Neverland and _he_ could already have Henry." Regina gripped the pedestal on which the globe sat, and her gaze was dark and full of self-loathing. But when Mary Margaret opened her mouth to say something, it was as though a switch had flipped and Regina was back to being her withdrawn self.

"But I'm sure Miss Swan, that _he_ will already be aware of our presence by now, and when he sends scouts I'm sure you will be of great use…. In the state that you're in." Her lip curled a little and Mary Margaret shot her a glance, which she ignored.

"Well why don't Emma and I go below deck and assess the food situation, and we can relieve the rest of you in the evening after dinner." Mary Margaret said, and when no one answered her, she pulled Emma up by the arm and led her along the ship and below deck. What had been limited conversation now became stony silence, and the creaking of the boat seemed to be amplified as three enemies gazed at each other, and Charming stood awkwardly trying not to get caught in the middle of it.

Below deck was much cooler, but it smelled distinctly of damp wood mingled with the salty air. Baskets and herbs hung from the rafters and they swayed slightly, making Emma feel sicker as she became more aware of the constant movement of the ship. The galley was dark and elongated, with rows of crates stacked along the wall full of food. Despite the fact that Hook had traveled only with Cora, the galley looked stocked to feed an entire crew, and dirty enough to indicate that pirates didn't do dishes.

"So… We have, dried meat, dried fish, and dried.. something…" Began Mary Margaret, inspecting the closest crates. Emma opened a few of the cupboards; finding only dented tin cutlery and bowls.

"I see pirates don't take much stock in vegetables, but I guess that's to be expected." Mary Margaret said, pursing her lips slightly as she opened up a barrel of pickled fish. She glanced over at Emma, who was rummaging half-heartedly through some of the crates.

"I'm sorry about Neal." She said quietly. Absolute silence filled the galley, except for the creaking of the ship and the occasional tinkling of pots and pans hitting each other as they swayed with the movement of the vessel. Emma stood stiffly not looking at her mother, her hands gripping a copper ladle as though it were a lifeline. When she didn't move or speak, Mary Margaret began again in a gentle voice, watching her daughter closely.

"You know he could still be alive, he could have landed in—" But before she could continue Emma cut her off, her voice shaking slightly.

"Mary Margaret he got _shot_…And unless he landed in a world where people understand what guns are and how to treat gunshot wounds, he's.." But Emma apparently couldn't say what Neal was. Her voice shook slightly but she cleared her throat and moved jerkily and automatically towards another cupboard.

"Emma—" Mary Margaret started, but before she could continue a voice called down the stairs.

"Snow? Hook wants you and Emma to look for an empty barrel for water so we can fill it up for dinner." Both of them jumped slightly, and then they began looking for a barrel hurriedly and without talk. They found a large one, large enough to fit Henry in it, and began to roll it over to the stairs. The thought of Henry fitting into a barrel almost made Emma laugh, and then she felt sick. She followed her father up the steps before Snow could return to talking about Neal. On the deck, she was met with a most curious sight as Charming moved the barrel over to the starboard side. Standing across from each other, eyeing each other with loathing, were Regina and Rumpelstiltskin, with the newly acquired barrel between them. Seeing Emma approach however, Rumpelstiltskin turned to her with a smile and stepped back.

"Now that Ms. Swan is here, I think you would find my services aren't needed." And before Regina or Charming could open their mouths, he had begun limping up the stairs to the next deck.

"Uhh, you want me to do something?" Emma asked Charming, who looked just as confused as she did.

"No, actually Miss Swan, I wanted you to do something. Something that involves magic." Regina interrupted, sounding as condescending as if Emma had turned up late for another town council meeting.

"You want me to do magic?" Emma asked, looking skeptical. Regina gave a sneer at Emma's expression, and raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow.

"Yes Miss Swan. And as confusing as it must be, I'm not sure I can make myself any plainer. Or should I perhaps go over it again, slowly." Emma flushed and she could feel her anger rising.

"No, you don't. And I would appreciate you being a little nicer, considering we're both on the same side now that we are rescuing Henry." She thought this would at least subdue Regina's look of hatred, but Regina only smirked again and turned back to the barrel.

"Our task," Regina continued, ignoring Emma's glare and Charming's slight cough of disapproval, "Is to provide fresh clean water to be used for cooking and bathing. I thought this would be a good way to introduce you to basic magic in preparation for…whatever may come." Regina trailed off, and for the first time looked slightly uneasy about what might lie ahead.

"And…how are we going to do that? We are in the middle of the ocean Regina, so unless you want to poof a water purifier or something…" Emma began, but Regina actually smiled, a slightly wolfish grin.

"Actually Miss Swan, that is exactly what we are going to do. I am going to purify the water, and you are going to help me. Are you ready?" Emma looked at her dumbly. Did Regina just suggest that Emma stick out her hands and purify the ocean? Charming also seemed uncertain, and he had almost begun raising his hand, as though he were in class, before he realized what he was doing and put it down.

"How exactly are you and Emma going to do this?" He asked, and Regina glanced at him as though she had completely forgotten about his existence.

"I will be the one to coax the water out of the ocean, and again I will also be the one to purify it of all salt and bacteria. Miss Swan's job will be similar to what she helped me with earlier in the mines, strengthening my own magic with hers. Since she does not yet have the finesse to manipulate her magic, she will simply have to focus her magic towards me, thereby saving us all the trouble of any…explosions." When both Charming and Emma continued to look nonplussed at her, Regina sighed and raised her hands, throwing back her sleeves.

"Let me demonstrate, since you two seem so incapable of comprehending this simple task." As Regina stopped talking, she began breathing deeply in slow and even breaths, focusing on the barrel. Suddenly, a small stream of water lifted itself from the ocean and began to pour itself onto the barrel on the deck. It was though someone had turned a garden hose on, and directed the jet into the barrel, except there was no hose in sight. Once the barrel was a quarter full the jet of water stopped, and Regina let out a breath. Next she began to wave one of her hands lazily in a circle over the top of the barrel, as though stirring the water with her mind. The water began to ripple, and stir, and then a fine stream of salt and sand rose from the barrel. This, Regina cast over the edge of the ship, before lowering her hands and turning back to Emma and Charming. Charming's mouth was open slightly, but Emma looked terrified.

"You want me to do that?" She asked in a hoarse whisper. Regina looked annoyed, and sighed as she put her hand to her temple.

"Were you even listening to me Miss Swan? I want you to use your magic to _strengthen_ mine, not do something this complicated. I'm not sure your brain could handle it to be quite honest." At this Regina smirked, but then she looked tired. It struck Emma how drained Regina must be from past few days, having endured torture, the near destruction of Storybrooke, and then the sudden rescue mission to find Henry. Like her, Regina must have felt powerless at the whirlwind of events that had pushed them towards their leaving Storybrooke, which for Emma had been the closest thing to home in a long time.

"If you are quite ready Miss Swan." Regina said, forcing Emma out of her reverie.

"Simply focus on me, and try to imagine a physical stream of your energy flowing towards me. Remember to control it though, as though you might control the flow of water out of a hose." Emma licked her lips nervously as she raised her hands and stood opposite from Regina over the barrel. She tried to do as Regina said, clearing her mind of everything else except forcing her magic, wherever it was, towards Regina. Nothing happened. Instead, Emma thought she must look rather foolish, her arms raised, her face screwed up in concentration, with Regina and Charming eyeing her. When Regina gave an irritated hiss Emma dropped her hands and glared at her.

"I was trying, but you aren't telling me how to do it. This isn't like learning to cook or fix a car. I can't just learn it from your cryptic explanation."

"Well you can neither cook nor fix a car, but I know you can do magic. Try again Miss Swan. But this time, really focus. Search inside of yourself for magic, for emotion, and then reach for it." Emma scowled slightly, so far, her impromptu magic teacher wasn't being very helpful she thought, but she tried to do as she was told. She closed her eyes, and relaxed, trying to feel for magic. All she felt was the rocking of the ship underneath her feet, and a slight tingling in her fingers. Was the tingling because her arms were sore, or was it something else? Focusing on the tingling sensation, Emma became hyper-aware of her own blood rushing from her hands, through all her veins and back to her heart, where they were pushed back to her hands again. Emma began imagining magic as though it were blood, rushing throughout her body in a continuous stream. That's what Regina needed right? A stream? Without realizing, Emma stiffened the muscles in her hands, willing that energy, that flow she felt in her fingertips, outwards and towards the water. She could feel her blood rushing through her hands and heard her own blood pumping in her ears. She thought she might have been imagining it, but she could almost feel the energy now rushing out of her hands and towards the water, faster and faster, and the water returning to her to become part of the current she had become in touch with. She could hear a gasp from Charming and an intake of breath from Regina, but it sounded muffled. But just as quickly as Emma had become aware of the stream of magic within her, she felt it disappearing rapidly. She remembered that Regina had said some nonsense about a hose and could almost feel the energy from her drain as she failed to cap the flow of magic that was now streaming out of her. In a panic Emma opened her eyes, and what she saw caused her mouth to fall open. Above her, hanging suspended in the air was a swirling mass of ocean water. It hovered over the deck, and as the sun's rays caught it, it sent iridescent sparkles onto the wooden deck. Emma could see a few confused fish swimming around, apparently testing out the new view above the murky water. But Emma only had a fraction of a second to glance at the floating sea in all its glory, for as soon as she stopped focusing on the tingling in her fingers the magic disappeared. But the water didn't. With a great splashing sound, the seawater rained down on the deck, forming small waves as it crashed down, obeying gravity once more. Emma, Regina, Charming, and Rumpelstiltskin, who had apparently come down from the upper deck to watch, all got soaked. Emma, who had closed her eyes when the first drops of the brief downpour hit, didn't need to open them to realize that the several thunking noises on the deck were the fish falling from their suspended glassless fishbowl. When she had opened them, Regina was fighting an expression between exasperation and interest. Charming looked proud, but slightly nervous, but when he caught Emma's eye he gave her an encouraging smile. Emma suddenly realized how tired she was, and sank slowly to one knee. Charming began towards her, looking alarmed, but a hand snaked around her elbow, keeping her upright.

"Well dearie, that was a quite a show. Needless to say I'm quite impressed, but a bit more and we might have lost you for good." Rumpelstiltskin breathed in her ear, and Emma weakly tried to move her head away.

"Emma?! Are you all right?" Charming asked, his voice worried as strong arms gripped her shoulders. Emma, who had closed her eyes momentarily against the brilliant sunlight, nodded slowly.

"I just feel a bit lightheaded, that's all." She murmured.

"Perhaps Ms. Swan should go below deck for a while. She certainly preformed a lot more magic then either of us intended, and she'll need to rest before she can do anything else, magical or not." Regina spoke softly, but there was a finality about her statement that made Charming help Emma up and down the ladder below deck. Emma glanced back and saw Regina and Rumpelstiltskin, both completely dry with some fast drying spell, talking to each other quietly with serious faces. When they caught Emma glancing at them, Rumpelstiltskin waved and gave a knowing smirk, whereas Regina looked uncharacteristically worried.

Emma was so exhausted when Charming helped her into one of the lower bunks that she fell asleep so quickly, she didn't even hear him leave. Her sleep was at first dreamless, and Emma felt infinitely peaceful, her limbs heavy and the aching pain in her head gone. But then, a flood of dreams began to invade Emma's mind, and she seemed to be pulled from a deep sleep into a state of almost wakefulness. She could feel the rocking of the ship, the weight of the blankets, and could smell the salty air, but images flitted in front of her eyes. Images of Mary Margaret, David, Ruby, and everyone from Storybrooke all flashing before her eyes in a confused jumble. She could almost hear the sounds of clattering dishes from Granny's kitchen as Granny berated Red from behind the counter. She could feel the cold air that whipped her as she walked down the streets in Storybrooke Maine, and could hear Pongo barking excitedly as Archie said good morning. But she could also hear other things, the groaning of wood, the sounds of footsteps above as people moved about, quiet voices near her. She could hear Mary Margaret, and although her eyes flickered and her body stirred, Emma found she could not move, and heard Mary Margaret's voice fade out again as she fell back into a feverish slumber.

She dreamed fitfully of Henry, his somber eyes that spoke of wisdom beyond his years, offset by his boyish grin of delight. He was perched right on the edge of her bed, and Emma could feel the dip in the bed as he put his weight on it. He was talking, and although he was smiling and grinning at her, she found she could not understand a word he was saying. All she could hear were other murmuring voices, footsteps, and something cold being placed on her forehead. She tried to swat it away, but once again; her arms seemed pinned against her body. Henry continued to smile at her, but it was a slightly cruller smile this time, and Emma's head was filled with a quiet sniggering. Someone was laughing. At her. She frowned and began to tell Henry off, but the sniggering grew louder, and Henry's face seemed to distort so the shadows on his face elongated, making him look positively evil.

And then it all changed. Emma found herself blinking in the bright sunlight as she sat up. She was in the passenger seat of a car, apparently having fallen asleep. She swallowed, and found her mouth dry. Automatically she reached over to the cup holder and grabbed her coffee, and took a grateful sip. It tasted bitter, so real, yet Emma felt just as thirsty as before. Looking around, she saw that she was in the yellow bug parked in front of a convenience store. People walked by, going about their day, but Emma couldn't help noticing that while the windows were rolled up in her car, she could hear almost every word they said. It sounded more like radio chatter, and Emma almost reached down to turn off the radio before she heard her name. "Emma!" But a rap on the window drove away all the sound and Emma turned her head. Neal stood, holding a white paper bag and two coffees. He indicated that she should open the door and, obliging, she leaned over.

"Sorry it took so long, you wouldn't believe the line in the place. I got you a donut." Neal said with a smile, and Emma gazed at him dazed. The chorus of voices had softened, but the way Neal gazed at her told Emma that her face gave away her discomfort.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, his husky voice concerned, his brows knitting in the same cute way Henry's did. Henry. Then Emma heard it again. "Emma! Emma!" She glanced around, the people walked by, not one of them glancing at her. And then she saw him. A figure was running through the park across the street, and Emma thought she recognized his scarf as he whipped behind a tree.

"Neal! Neal we have to go!" Emma yelled, and she reached for the door handle, but it was as though time had slowed, and although the boy was disappearing out of view, Emma still hadn't reached the handle.

"Neal! Come on!" Emma yelled, her own voice sounding muffled and the sound of the chorus of voices inside her head intensified again, all chanting her name.

"What's the big rush Emma?" Neal asked lazily, smiling at her unconcernedly.

"Henry!" Emma shouted, and she shouted so loud that she heard it reverberate, through her lips. And suddenly she was awake.

Emma shot up from the bed, and immediately hit her head on the bunk above her and got tangled in the sheets as she tripped out of bed. She landed on the floor and lay panting. Her eyes were swimming and her head was foggy. Her mouth was dry, and she licked her cracked lips. Her body felt like lead, and it took almost all of Emma's effort to open her eyes only to see darkness. At first Emma panicked, thinking she was dreaming again, but the rocking of the ship and the sound of footsteps assured her she was awake. It was then that Emma noticed that the rocking of the ship seemed much stronger than before, so much so that she could hear boxes sliding around as the ship swayed and lurched. Emma sat up uneasily and stared around, her eyes looking for any pinprick of light. She spotted a slant of light coming down from the stairs and headed towards it. Her legs felt weak and heavy, and she half stumbled, half crawled on her hands and knees towards the light. Several times the ship gave a lurch and Emma fell sideways, where she lay panting and wide-eyed. Something had happened. The sound, which Emma hadn't noticed before, now came rushing at her, howling winds and the slosh of water. She could hear the masts groaning, objects moving, and the sounds of muffled shouts above deck.

"Mary Margaret?! Charming?!" She called, her voice sounding coarse and weak. Had something happened while Emma slept, had they been attacked? But no one answered, so Emma continued to crawl towards the stairs. Using the railings for support, Emma finally stood up, and unsteadily, like a newborn fawn, began walking. She walked up the stairs until she reached the hatch door, and pushed on it to open.

Instantly, the howling winds wrenched the door from her grasp and flung it open with a bang. The assault of the sounds and the rain hit her before anything else, momentarily blinding Emma. With her eyes closed and one arm flung over her face, the other gripping the rail, Emma could hear the howling winds and sleeting rain, as well as voices.

"Emma?! What are you doing?!" A voice called, and Emma squinted her eyes. Mary Margaret, dressed in a large yellow slicker and boots came forward. She was gripping one of the masts and Emma saw a long roped looped around her waist and trailing behind her.

"What's going on!?" Emma screamed, trying to make herself heard over the storm.

"Just as we were getting close to some islands, this storm blew in. Everyone is fine, just go down below deck!" Mary Margaret cried back, and she suddenly clung to the mast as a massive wave rolled over the deck. The ship lurched, and with it Emma felt any food she had eaten in Storybrooke threaten to come up. It was nothing like the movies, where the waves had always seemed fake and the actors only pretending to be cold and miserable. Dressed in only a shirt and jeans, Emma felt frozen to the bone. Her hands felt so numb she could barely feel the railing, and the cold rain pelting every inch of her body felt like a hailstorm of nails. As waves washed over the deck, spilling down the open hatch behind Emma, Emma felt her legs go numb as the icy cold ocean water swept her. She nearly lost her balance at the force of the water, and used both hands to grip the railing.

"Emma go below deck! You still aren't well!" She heard Mary Margaret call, and Emma needed no further encouragement to go. Looking around however, she spotted everyone else. Hook and Charming, like Mary Margaret, had long ropes tied around their wastes and were trying to secure the sails, which had been taken down. Rumpelstiltskin had both hands on the wheel, and he seemed to be trying to force the ship away from the larger waves. He and Regina, who was standing next to him, were tied to the railing, but Emma could see it was missing some of its spindles, having been wrenched off by the wind. Regina seemed to be trying to using magic to guide the ship, but her face was chalk white and it looked to Emma as though she was using the last bit of her strength to keep the boat from sinking. Emma, who could tell she would be no use to anyone, turned and went back down the stairs. Once she slammed the hatch behind her, the howling wind was cut off a bit, and all that was left was Emma's own gasping breaths. With a sudden lurch as the boat was side swept by the waves, Emma lost her balance and fell down the stairs, landing in a small pool of water. The breath knocked out of her, Emma lay, her body feeling cold and clammy in the water, until she felt she could move again. Once she got up, she noticed the various boxes containing food and other supplies floating around in the water. Deciding that the only useful thing she could do was stay out of everyone's way; Emma began looking for some rope to lash the boxes together. Instead of a rope, she found several large nets, and she used these to lash the supplies to several sturdy beams, hanging them above the water level. She continued to check the rest of the ship for any loose items, and secured them down tightly with rope or netting. She managed to find a few lanterns and candles, but deciding that lighting a fire inside an unstable wooden ship was probably not the best idea, she put them away for later use. She did find some clothing, belonging to one of the crewman she thought, which she changed into. Then, she returned to her bunk and sat, anxiously listening to the noises above.

At some point in that long night, Emma somehow fell asleep, because when the storm passed and Mary Margaret and Charming went to check on her, she was once more deep asleep and dreaming. Her eyes flickered and she murmured, but never once did she stir as she endured another fitful nightmare.

Emma awoke again, this time feeling better, but very stiff as she sat up. She stretched, and felt the stiffness in her muscles as she looked around. The cabin was considerably lighter than when she had last woken, and the beds around her were occupied. Across from her slept Regina, her face still quite pale, but with a frown on her face that almost made Emma smile. Of course the Evil Queen would sleep looking displeased about something. Above her, Emma guessed, from the gentle breathing, was Mary Margaret. Emma rose quietly, and noticed that a large woolen coat had been draped at the foot of her bed, a different one from her own. She put it on, grateful for the warmth and got up. Her muscles protested, but she moved quietly towards the stairs. Passing the next set of bunks, she noticed that neither Rumpelstiltskin nor Charming were in their bunks, and she could only assume that Hook was in his own quarters. As she passed the galley she noticed that someone had left out a plate of food, dried fish, some biscuits, and a mysterious jug of liquid. Without much caring what the liquid was, Emma grabbed some biscuits and fish and found a mug. The mysterious liquid turned out to be rum, and Emma could tell it had been watered down with water. The biscuits were so hard that Emma nearly broke her teeth on one before she dipped it in her cup of rum to soften it. Once finished with this small meal, Emma headed up the stairs towards the hatch, which she opened with some trepidation.

The deck wasn't as in bad a shape as Emma thought it would have been. While there had clearly been a storm, and some of the finer wood details had been broken off, the ship seemed remarkably intact. A portion of the starboard railing was missing, and Emma notices several of the ratlines were tied to makeshift piece of wood as several cleats were missing. It wasn't until Emma looked up that she noticed that a top portion of the main mast had been ripped off, and only one of the sails was unfurled, the main topsail lying useless on the deck. As Emma moved towards the quarterdeck, she heard her name called.

"Emma! Are you alright?" It was Charming, and he came towards her looking relieved. Emma had time to examine him and decided that he seemed to fit the part of a ships hand. He had changed out of his Storybrooke clothes into woolen pants with high boots and a linen tunic with a thick vest. Emma noticed a large bruise on his temple, and some smaller cuts on his face. When he pulled her into a hug, she could see that his hands were cut and bruised too.

"I'm fine. In fact I should ask you the same question." She asked, trying to make light of the situation, but noticing how cut up her father seemed to be.

"Oh, this was from all the flying debris in the storm. The top half of the mast broke off and it was swinging around for a while before Hook and I managed to cut it off, hit me right in the head." Glancing up at the poop deck momentarily, Charming turned back to Emma, his voice lowered.

"I wouldn't go up there at the moment, and I would definitely not ask where we are." Charming said with a grimace, and Emma, who glanced up at the poop deck where Hook and Rumpelstiltskin stood, glaring at each other.

"Why?" She asked quietly, adjusting the collar of her coat as she cast more furtive glances at the two standing by the helm.

"Last night, the storm caught us off guard. Regina and Rumpelstiltskin both agree that it must have been infused with magic to come up on us so quickly. Anyway, after the mast broke, we were all running around on deck trying to pull down the sails, and Regina was using her magic to try cut through the waves in front of us. It seems, that with Regina and Rumpelstiltskin both using magic to steer and ignoring the helm, somehow the globe fell overboard. Hook managed to turn us around this morning, so we are still sailing east, but we don't know how far we were pushed." Noticing Emma's rather glum look Charming added quickly, "but Rumpel says he could see some land using magic when he looked east, so we should be close." But what Charming didn't say, which Emma knew was on his mind, was what island they were approaching. At the brief glance at the globe Emma had had, there were several islands forming a chain, and while Neverland was the largest, there was no guarantee they were headed towards it anymore.

At that moment, Rumpelstiltskin walked gingerly down the steps towards where Emma and Charming were standing near the hatch.

"Good morning Miss Swan, I trust that you have had a pleasant sleep? After spending all night up steering us, I think I fancy a bit of a rest. Perhaps you can actually help around the ship, instead of waiting out the storm in a warm cozy bead." Gold sneered as he pushed past. Charming opened his mouth to say something, before closing his eyes and sighing.

"Sorry Emma, but I think it's best to let him go sleep it off. He did use quite a bit of magic last night." Charming sat on a barrel near by, working his stiff muscles in his shoulder.

"I'm sorry I wasn't much help yesterday, what can I do now?" Emma asked quietly, hoping that Charming wouldn't say 'go help hook'.

"To be honest, nothing much. Because Regina and Gold can use magic we were going to rely on them for doing repairs of the ship, and Hook seems to be steering fine by himself now that we aren't being buffeted by the storm." Hook, who Emma thought couldn't hear them from up on deck, suddenly called out.

"You know, if you two wanted to make yourself useful, you could repair the main mast, and then we might actually _get_ to Neverland. At the speed we're going a cripple could swim faster to the island than us. The extra wood is below deck." Emma glared up at Hook, but said nothing as Charming began trudging good-naturedly down the stairs. They found spare wood and rope below deck, and while Charming was calculating how long the piece needed to be, a figure came up behind them.

"Starting an art project?" Regina said dryly, and Emma turned around, her hands full of a mass of rope. Regina stood, hands crossed over her chest, looking at Emma and David as though they were monkeys trying to build a car. Her lip was curled in a sneer, and a perfectly manicured eyebrow was raised. But she didn't look very well. Her face was very pale, and without any makeup, Emma could see dark shadows under her eyes. She was dressed in a pair of tailored silk pajamas, no doubt something she had magicked out of thin air.

"We're trying to rebuild the broken part for the mast." Said Emma, looking defiantly at Regina, as though daring her to laugh.

"Well dear, have you made sure you measured it first?" Regina asked, giving another smirk and sounding like she was reprimanding Henry and not two full grown adults. With a glance at Charming, Emma realized with irritation that they hadn't measured anything, they had just eyeballed it.

"Why don't I make you a deal? You go up and measure the dimensions, and I will use magic to build it. Then you can put the sail back on, and we can move along much quicker." Regina said, almost lazily, but it masked the exhaustion in her voice poorly.

"Umm, ok. How do you suggest I get up there and measure it?" Emma asked, feeling uneasy.

"You climb." Regina said in a sickly sweet voice, and she left to get breakfast.

Emma clung to the ratlines as they swayed in the breeze, her heart leaping to her throat. While Charming had offered to go up, almost insisted, Emma thought that it would be better for him not to go in case he had a concussion. So Emma had gone, clinging to the rope as she was buffeted in the wind. Hook, who she could see clearly, gave a cackle and an encouraging wave. Emma's eyes were as round as saucers, her breathing shallow. But she was far to high up to turn around now. She had just reached the mainsail, when she realized that she would have to walk across it to reach the main mast. Clinging to the mast, Emma began to scoot on her stomach like an inchworm across the deck. She could hear the guffawing laughter of Hook, but she didn't dare look down. Crawling faster now, she reached out and clung the center mast, sitting on the mainsail frame. She thought she never wanted to let go. But looking around, without looking down, Emma thought the view was quite spectacular. The sun was shining, and birds flew almost level with her. The water sparkled beautifully, and the once fearsome breeze now seemed pleasant now that she was on firmer ground. And then she saw it. To the east a long dark speck on the horizon. Emma watched it for a moment, but it didn't vanish, and the longer Emma looked, the more she was sure.

"Land! I see land!" She called excitedly, and then she glanced down to make sure the others heard her. Charming was hovering right below her, with his arms half up, though Emma doubted he would catch her if she actually fell. Rather, she might make a Emma sized hole in the deck. Regina sat regally on the stairs, changed into a female versions of Hooks outfit, looking like a pirate queen. She had whipped her head over to the east when Emma called land, and now she rose to hurry up to the helm. Hook shaded his eyes with his hands and then gave a grin.

"Excellent, my love I think you can come down now. Regina seems to have misdirected you and Prince Charming here a bit." But the rest of his words were drowned out by a large gust of wind. Emma all to gladly began to climb down, not even caring that the ratlines swayed and pitched. Once she reached the deck she fell, trembling into Charming's waiting arms. She gave a nervous laugh and stood, legs shaking to face Regina and Hook.

"How soon do you think we will get there?" Emma asked, excitedly.

"Well, if Regina fixes the mast, I should say in a few days. Of course, we could speed things along with magic." Hook added hopefully. Regina didn't say anything, just continued to stare intently at the speck on the horizon.

"Well you didn't let me get the measurements, so shouldn't we do that first?" Emma asked, eager to do anything to speed along their search for Henry. At this however, Hook had an amused and slightly sinister grin on his face.

"Well what I was trying to tell you Ms. Swan, before you got all gung-ho with the ropes, was that I have all the measurements for the masts and parts of the ship in the ships blueprints in my cabin. But you seemed so eager to climb all the way up there that—" Emma's mouth fell open in shock and horror, and before she realized what she was doing she had walked up and punched Hook hard in the stomach.

"You let me get all the way up there, when you could have just checked the blueprints?!" She shrieked, and was almost in for another punch when Hook hastily took a step back.

"Alright, alright, I admit it was a bit mean. But you seemed quite willing to do it, and since you hadn't been much use last night I thought you wanted the opportunity to prove yourself as a capable member of—" But he was cut off again by another sharp jab, this time at his ribs.  
"Better stop while you're ahead Hook." Charming said solemnly, but a moment later he began to roar with laughter. Soon everyone was laughing, Hook grimacing and rubbing his ribs, and Regina letting out an amused chuckle, Everyone except for Emma, who stood seething and embarrassed. She did allow a small smile to grace her features, when she thought that she had finally done something she wanted to do in a long time, give Hook a good punch. When Mary Margaret emerged from the open hatch to ask what all the noise was, Emma turned and smiled brightly at her, and pointed at the steadily growing land visible on the horizon.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi guys, I'm back at school and procrastinating as usual... However I can't get the story out of my head, and although I have most of the plot figured out, I just don't know about the pairings yet... So I guess I'll figure that out. Anyway, sorry for the long delays, and be prepared for even longer ones. Next chapter introduces my OC, as well as not Wendy, but Maimie, who was the precursor of Wendy in a earlier Peter Pan story. Anyway... I'll try to get chapter 3 up soon, but I have midterms soon...yikes...

Don't own anything, wish OUAT tv show would make swan queen a thing already...

Two

The excitement of seeing land had worn off by the third day. Apparently, 'seeing land' was very different from being close to it, as Emma soon discovered. After three days of not coming any closer to the patch of land, Emma thought she might scream in frustration. Emma spent most of her time hanging off the sides of the ship, watching the ever-present blotch on the horizon. Regina had fixed the mast in a matter of minutes, and Charming and Emma had gone up to reattach the topsail. Emma still felt nervous and slightly sick as she clutched the mast, tying down the great canvas sheet. If Regina hadn't lifted the sail with magic, Emma was sure she and Charming wouldn't have been able to carry it at all up the mast.

No one had asked Emma to do magic again, and Emma had very little desire to. However, she did see Mary Margaret and David in close conference often, glancing occasionally in her direction. Now that Emma thought about it, as she gripped the railing of the deck as the boat cut over a particularly rough patch of waves, she was probably the least useful person on their rescue expedition. Having been transported to the Enchanted Forest recently had taught her this. Guns didn't work against fairytale creatures it seemed, and magic users like Rumpelstiltskin or Regina could simply repel any gun she used against them. She couldn't wield a bow or arrow like her mother, swing a sword like her father, or even ride a horse. Assuming that Neverland was as dangerous a place as Rumpelstiltskin alluded to, Emma wondered if she was more of a hazard than help. Someone else in her position might simply choose to stay on the ship and guard it, instead of endangering his or her comrades by insisting to come along. But Emma knew she had to rescue Henry personally, or at least be part of the rescue mission. To wait on the sidelines while others went to rescue her son, Emma shook her head to chase those thoughts. As much as she hated to admit it, if she accepted Regina as a teacher, she might be able to use magic to help rescue Henry, but she was very hesitant to do so. For starters, Emma thought as she gazed into the sparkling water, the people who she knew who could use magic weren't the best role models of who she wanted to become. There was Regina, the former Evil Queen, Rumpelstiltskin the Dark One, and Cora, the deceased power crazed Queen of Hearts. Of course, there was the Blue Fairy, but her magic seemed to be much less useful in dire situations than Regina or Gold's. No, studying magic wasn't something Emma was keen on doing, but it seemed to be the only thing she _could_ do at the moment.

Straightening up, Emma turned to seek out Regina or Rumpelstiltskin, preferably Regina. Learning more about Rumpelstiltskin's past didn't make Emma warm up to him at all, if anything, it repelled her. Regina on the other hand, seemed to be making an effort to change. And Emma had to admit, that while some of her spells had caused Emma a great amount of harm, like the curse or the sleeping spell, Regina seemed to use relatively normal ones as well that Emma would find useful. So Emma went to the prow to stand next to Regina, who was sipping a cup of coffee. Where she had gotten the cup of coffee, Emma had no idea, but she assumed Regina must have conjured it.

"Umm, Regina? Can I talk to you for a second?" Emma asked. Regina made an annoyed face, which was so familiar to Emma it was as though the two were standing at the counter at Granny's, not on a pirate ship in Neverland.

"Yes, Ms. Swan?" Regina asked, but her voice held no malice, only mild irritation.

"Um, well I know that my second try at magic didn't go so well, but I've been doing some thinking." Emma paused to give Regina a scowl when Regina raised an eyebrow as if to say _'You? Thinking? How rare' _but made no comment. "—And I've decided that although I can't control it yet, and it kind of scares me, it might be useful to learn when we face…stuff." Emma finished lamely as she watched for Regina's reaction. Regina sounded neither mocking nor condescending when she spoke, but in an entirely different voice that Emma had never heard before.

"Ms. Swan, I too can see the merit of your magic, but I must warn you that magic can be a powerful but dangerous thing. You were gifted by being born the product of true love, and therefore your magic is a powerful and pure, but even then temptation can rise. As you have seen," Regina said, indicating her head and giving Emma a wry smile, "dark magic is incredibly powerful and comes from strong emotions and giving into ones darker side. Because although magic itself is inherently neither good nor evil, it is the caster who uses the magic for good or evil purposes. Am I making sense?" Emma frowned as she tried to make sense of this as her entire concept of magic had revolved so far around a world where magic wasn't supposed to exist. Certainly the Blue Fairy's magic seemed vastly different from Regina's, but was there a middle ground? Emma hadn't met one yet. She voiced her thoughts out loud.

"Yeah, but from what I've seen, there isn't much of a grey area. You have one half with True Love and fairy dust and all that, and then you have the other half where you are a sorcerer or Dark One. Is there anything slightly, umm, less extreme?" At this, Regina actually gave Emma a smile and laughed quietly.

"You make an excellent point Ms. Swan, a point which can be applied to not only magic but the entire concept of good and evil itself. Why the book which Henry treasures, is that not a book written from the perspective of good? Does that mean everything that is not good is evil?" Emma's head was starting to hurt, but Regina looked almost eager to begin a debate. When Emma didn't rise to the bait, Regina looked slightly disappointed, but returned to the main topic.

"Anyway, as you have seen Ms. Swan, the concept of good and evil are subjective, they cannot be measured. Who is to say that one person's magic is viewed as evil, while another views it as good? You fear studying magic because you don't want to become evil, yes?" Emma nodded, looking slightly ashamed, but Regina didn't say anything.

"Magic is about emotion, and it always comes with a price. The greater the magic, the darker and heavier the price. But you, a product of true love, one with already great power? Despite our previous, disputes, Ms. Swan, your actions have always dictated that your high standard of morals and a conscience supersedes an action that would dip you into darker magic." Emma gaped at her. Regina, who had said all of this fairly quickly, cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"Did you just call me noble or something?" Emma asked incredulously.

"Not precisely no." Regina snapped. "Seeing as how you give little regards to the rules. What I meant was, that fear of being allured by dark magic is a reasonable fear, but should not stop you from delving into your existing talent."

"So, you could teach me, how to control the magic I already have. I mean, I don't need to learn a lot. Just enough to help you, you know, when we find Henry." Emma said quickly, her brow furrowed and looking once again guilty. Regina's expression seemed to soften slightly for a moment, as though she recognized how hard it must have been for Emma to admit to her weakness. But in a flash it was gone, and replaced with a brisk businesslike tone.

"Well, if you want to control your magic so you don't pass out every time, we better start working. I'll just warn you now Ms. Swan, controlling ones magic is time consuming, it's not something you can control overnight. But once you do, it will become as easy as breathing." Regina paused, glancing at Rumpelstiltskin and seeming to decide something.

"I learned magic from spell books, Ms. Swan, but you seem to be able to use magic just from your own talent. So therefore I think we will channel your magic into manipulating, rather then creating." Seeing Emma's blank look, Regina sighed. She raised a hand and conjured a Styrofoam cup of coffee from thin air. Emma goggled at it. It was so clearly a Starbucks coffee, with the cardboard sleeve, delicious smell and everything, that Emma for a moment thought Regina must have teleported it from an actual Starbucks.

"That is conjuring, creating, Ms. Swan. I _created_ this cup of coffee using magic. _Manipulating_ is what you attempted to do to the seawater. You were merely changing the form of what was already present. Manipulating is much easier to do, whether it's bending an iron bar, making a fire spread faster, or making a mast out of spare wood. However, manipulating needs great concentration because you are forcing an object to change its shape, instead of simply forcing an object into existence, understand?" Emma looked as if she didn't understand, and Regina sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, sometimes I wonder what Graham saw in you as a Deputy, when your powers of logic and deduction are so…lacking…" When Emma opened her mouth to protest, Regina continued on breezily, ignoring her.

"First, why don't you describe your feelings when you manipulated the water. What emotion were you using?" Emma thought back, and remembered the tingling in her fingers, but no emotion.

"Nothing really. I just sort of thought of magic as a kind flow, you know, and I guess I managed to intercept the flow and change it." Emma said with a shrug. When she noticed Regina staring at her, she quickly blushed.

"What? Did I do something wrong?" Regina continued to stare at her, and then she glanced over at Rumpelstiltskin again, who seemed to be watching them.

"No, you didn't do anything wrong per say, just unusual. You see the kind of magic that requires spell books at first is, well commonly called witchcraft, but you seem to be doing something more fundamentally simple in finding the current of magic. I'm not calling you simple, Ms. Swan" Regina said as Emma began to open her mouth in protest, "just unusual." She looked slightly unsettled as she gazed at Emma, as though unsure whether she should be teaching Emma any more magic at all. She glanced again at Rumpelstiltskin and Emma felt irritated.

"Is there something that the two of you aren't sharing? Something about me?" She asked angrily as she too gazed at Rumpelstiltskin. Regina looked hesitant, but shrugged in a very un-Regina like way.

"Well it was only a theory I had, but Rumpelstiltskin has neither confirmed nor denied it, he won't tell me anything." When Emma continued to glare at her, Regina began to explain, but slowly as though Emma were a child.

"As you know Ms. Swan, the powerful magic of True Love does not allow you to manipulate things, as witchcraft does, neither does it allow you to cast anything or create anything. Both fairydust and witchcraft however, have their own drawbacks. While good fairies are incapable of doing evil deeds, without fairy dust, they can't do much." At this, Regina gave a satisfied smirk but continued when Emma gave her a frustrated glare. "Witchcraft is much the same, we use spellbooks to learn how to control magic, and once we can control it we don't need the books anymore. But witchcraft must be _taught_, and any new spell or form of magic needs to be learned through a spell. However, your powers seem to go beyond the norms of one who is the product of True Love. You need neither a spellbook, a wand, nor fairydust in order to control magic. My theory was, that being the product of True Love heightened your awareness to magic and allowed you to manipulate it purely, like fairies do, but without using any fairy dust. Since you describe it a stream, or flow, I can only assume that you are somehow more in touch with magic than the rest of us, and it responds to your will, not just your emotion." Regina looked a little jealous, but she pursed her lips and continued.

"As such, I fear that there is not much that Rumpelstiltskin or I would be able to teach you, aside from helping you harness your own power. Your magic is beyond us." At this, Regina definitely looked jealous, so Emma cut in quickly.

"But how do I control it? I don't know the first thing about manipulating things.." Regina seemed to pull herself together, and she gave a faint smile.

"Which is why I have an exercise for you. Changing an objects form can be draining, and although it is useful, I think the most useful thing for you to learn would be making objects move without you touching them. Telekinesis if you will. It shouldn't tire you out to exhaustion, and it will help keep your hazard to others at a minimum. Learning to disarm people is a powerful tool, Ms. Swan."

"Like wingardium leviosa." Emma joked as she followed Regina towards the center of the deck near the mast.

"I suppose, well without all the foolish wand waving. That is fairy nonsense." Regina said dryly, but she quirked an eyebrow when Emma gawked at her.

"No way! You've read Harry Potter?!" Emma said. She couldn't imagine the stiff and uptight Regina Mills indulging in something as juvenile as Harry Potter.

"I have a ten year old, Ms. Swan. Of course I know Harry Potter. Although I've forbidden him to watch the movies. The books are better." Emma rolled her eyes at this; of course Regina would be one of those parents who thought the book should come first.

Regina led Emma over to a mass of nets and ropes near the mainmast. Pulling a rock that served as a weight from the nets with a tug, she placed it on the deck and turned to Emma.

"Regina I don't think you should just take apart the nets like that—" Emma began, but she was cut off by Regina. "Oh save it, it's not like we're here on holiday to fish anyway. What I want you to do is sit." When Emma just stood staring at her, Regina growled faintly and pursed her lips.

"_Sit_." She hissed, and Emma slowly sat with her back against a crate. She glared up at Regina, feeling like a petulant child being put in time out.

"Now, I want you to focus your magic on the rock, and make it rise in the air. Focus on nothing else. If you feel you are losing control, simply close your eyes and force a few deep breaths while focusing on something else. Since you say that you can _feel_ this stream of magic, try forcing that stream once again to redirect the flow towards the rock and upwards. Once you've done it once, keep doing it until you can move the rock freely in any direction with your will."

"Wait so I'm literally doing wingardium leviosa?!" Regina gave another frustrated hiss and jabbed her finger at the rock, indicating that Emma should begin. Then she stalked off and below deck, leaving Emma feeling foolish sitting staring at a rock. She felt like Luke Skywalker, or Ron Weasley, or even Eragon, forced to use the force or learn magic with a rock. Why was it always a rock? Emma gazed around watching the others go about their business. Hook had evidently stepped into his cabin for some rest as Rumpelstiltskin was at the helm, and Charming was emerging from the hatch carrying a bunch of swords. Based off his face, he wasn't too pleased with Hook's stock. Most of the swords were curved, which Emma knew purely from movies to be called cutlasses, pirate swords. None were the large broadsword style that Charming preferred, and when he caught Emma watching him he gave a sigh and walked over to her.

"Hi Em, what are you doing?" Emma rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh, despite not having done any work on her magic so far.

"Regina is having me strengthen my magic. I mean I did ask her to show me and all, but here I am stuck trying to levitate rocks. Like I'm a jedi or something." Charming gave a laugh and dropped some of the swords onto a crate next to her.

"You better not leave those with me. I might make them fly around." Emma cautioned, and Charming's eyes widened before he nodded and picked them up again.

"What kind of swords are those?" Emma asked. Charming gave a grimace as he examined the non-cutlasses in his hand.

"These, are falchion's, a little better than cutlasses because they're straighter. I have two here, so you can have one, let me just sharpen it. These here are smaller short swords, and this is a dirk, it's a dagger. I was thinking of giving them to Mary Margaret because she seems to prefer bows, but we don't have any here. But since you will be learning magic you might not even need a weapon." Charming said proudly, although he looked worried. Emma punched him lightly in the leg, and grinned at him.

"Don't worry, the Savior won't turn into the Evil Princess or anything. I'm not even sure I'll be able to do magic, well not normal magic." Charming rolled his eyes and went up to the quarterdeck, a good distance away from Emma in case she accidently made one of his swords fly.

"I've learned something Emma, living in the Enchanted Forest. There is no such a thing as _normal_ magic." And with that, Emma was left once again with her rock, and a few seagulls up ahead mocking her with their cries.

Emma tried, she really did. Reaching for the tingling in her fingers once more, she focused solely on the rock, trying to force it to move. When nothing happened, Emma focused even harder, willing the rock to rise up, but it continued to remain firmly on the ground. At one point, it shifted sideways slightly, and Emma looked at it hopefully, but it had only been the movement of the waves that caused the rock to move.

Emma closed her eyes and thought back. Why was this so hard? She remembered thinking of the magic as a current, which had been easy to do because she had _felt _it, and had felt the current of water moving with the magic. But now that it was something solid, she couldn't feel the current at all. Thrusting out her arms towards the rock, she hoped that somehow she could use the force to move it. But nothing happened.

As Emma sat under the beating sun, she watched the rock intently, as though hoping it would simply move on it's own. The she noticed a piece of seaweed, being buffeted by the wind along the deck get pushed up against the rock, before it slipped sideways and continued being blown down the deck. Emma's eyes snapped up. That was it. There was a current, not a current of water, but of air. Previously, Emma had imagined the current of water, and the magic extending from her own hands to the water. Now, that current of air had an obstacle in front of it, the rock, which forced the air around the rock. If Emma could coax the current to instead of moving around the rock, to move the rock, then she could manipulate it.

It was the most bizarre logic Emma had come up with so far, but she felt that it was right. Reaching out, Emma squinted her eyes so she could only see the rock and the deck. She felt the breeze playing with her hair, buffeting against her skin, and then she felt it on her fingertips. Almost coaxing, Emma began moving her fingers in the direction of the rock, coaxing the magic to direct the air to the rock. It met the rock and was halted, but this didn't stop Emma. Emma reached for the current again, this time coaxing the magic under the rock until it built with such pressure that it would lift the rock off the ground.

Slowly, very slowly, the rock began to lift; it was millimeters, and then centimeters, and then inches off the ground. Emma imagined the air, a jet of it; lifting the rock as though it were a balloon, up off the ground. She heard noise around her, but ignored it, focusing on the jet of air. She moved the rock upwards until it was above her head, and then she focused on letting it down. She didn't want to let it just drop, what had Regina said? Imagine a hose? Emma focused on the jet of air, and lowering her hands, brought the rock slowly down until it rested on the deck. It wasn't until she let the current of air go, and focus on the deck as whole, did Emma realize her head was spinning. She didn't feel nearly as exhausted as last time, but it felt as though she had just done a dozen jumping jacks and suddenly sat down. She glanced around to see Mary Margaret standing at the open hatchway, her mouth open, with Regina by her side. Mary Margaret cast a resentful glance towards Regina before hurrying towards Emma. Emma, who glanced at Regina, saw Regina looking smug, and Emma was sure that it was Mary Margaret who had made the noise, and judging by the way Regina was wiping her hands on her front, Regina had clapped a hand over Mary Margaret to silence her. Emma had no doubt that Regina could have silenced Mary Margaret easily with a wave of her hand using magic, but Regina seemed to have enjoyed smacking Mary Margaret hard over the mouth.

"Oh Emma, that was wonderful. How do you feel? You look a bit flushed?" Mary Margaret said, looking worriedly at Emma. Emma smiled up at her, but couldn't notice that Mary Margaret looked uneasy, as though she didn't want Emma learning magic at all, but was holding her tongue. Emma was sure she would hear about it later.

"I feel a bit lightheaded, but nothing some water and breakfast couldn't help." Emma said cheerfully. Mary Margaret nodded but still looked worried.

"Why don't you come down below deck and have some more food?" Emma nodded and got up stiffly, picking the rock up and putting it in her pocket.

After a short meal, Emma returned above deck, where everyone was now awake. Hook and Charming seemed to be casting nets to fish, and Regina was gathering more water for cooking, although in much smaller quantities. Gold was steering, and occasionally he would bang his cane on the deck, causing the ship to give a groan and move faster for a short period. Mary Margaret had taken up Charming's forgotten task of sharpening weapons, but she kept casting worried glances at Emma who had sat back down.

Despite the distractions of people moving about the deck, Emma sat closer to the bow of the ship and focused once again on the rock. She found that while she could make the rock move up and down several more times, she could not make it move in any other direction. Finally, she placed the rock back on the ground and attempted to make it move in any direction from there, and that's when Emma discovered an amusing game. While the large rock, which was used as a weight to help weigh down the nets, was tiring to move, Emma found two small pebbles which were much easier to command. Keeping the pebbles flat on the deck, Emma was able to make them zoom around her and engage in small races. When she saw Henry again, she knew she would have to show him her new found talent in pebble racing.

Emma was in the process of adding a third people to her race, which involved zooming over decks and railings and up the mast, when she heard a shout.

"Over there! What's that?" She glanced over to see Charming pointing to something coming from the direction of the island. They had gotten encouragingly closer to the island, so much so that it was now a definite stretch of land in front of them. Emma could see what Charming was talking about, and her heart leapt with fear.

A large dark shape was coming towards them and as it skimmed over the water it gathered and gathered until the dark shape seemed to become infinitely larger. It reminded Emma of when the curse was breaking, the storm that had swept over Storybrooke so quickly they didn't have time to run.

It was Rumpelstiltskin's voice that was heard next.

"It's another storm, a magical one. We need to quickly pull up the sails and tie everything down." They all sprang into action as one. Mary Margaret threw the weapons unceremoniously down the hatch and slammed the door shut, and then she and Emma ran around deck lashing everything that was loose to the masts. Hook and Charming had scurried up the ratlines to secure the sails, and Regina made her way to the bow of the ship.

"Emma, here!" Mary Margaret shouted, as the rolling black cloud came ever closer. She threw Emma several lengths of rope; her own already tied around her waist. Emma ran to Charming and Hook, who were coming down from the ratlines, the sails down a little faster with Regina's help. Once Charming and Hook were tied Emma tied herself, and looked to Regina. Regina had magicked a rope to tie itself to the mast and was now steeling herself for something, her arms raised.

The cloud was almost upon them, blotting out the bright sky into pure inky blackness. The birds squawked with alarm and began to fly away, but some of them were swallowed by the darkness. The most eerie thing, Emma thought, was that although it was most definitely a storm, there was no sound of any thunder. There was nothing but a rushing sound, as though a vacuum was sucking the air out.

"Ms. Swan! Over here!" Regina called, beckoning Emma towards the bow to stand with her. The last thing Emma wanted to do was stand _closer_ to the oncoming storm, but she had no choice. She made her way over, the wind pulling her towards the storm and the darkness.

"What is this?" Emma yelled, even though she and Regina were standing almost an arms length apart.

"It's a magical storm. _He _must be conjuring them to keep us away from the island." Regina's face looked deadly calm but Emma could see flecks of purple in her eyes hinting at her anger.

"So, umm, what do you want me to do?" Emma asked.

"We are going to try to keep the boat on a straight course, towards the island." Regina called, raising her hands. "Rumpelstiltskin will be steering, our job is to break the waves and keep us moving forward." Before Emma could have time to ask any questions, the storm was upon them.

It was like entering an underground tunnel, the sudden rush of air, the icy cold, and the impenetrable darkness. Emma couldn't see anything in front of her, not even her own hands. The most unsettling thing was that there was no wind. The air was completely dead, and the only sound was the creak of the boat.

"Ms. Swan." Regina said, and Emma jumped. She had almost forgotten that anyone was there.

"When the winds return, focus purely on one thing. Moving forward. I will cut the waves, but you must focus on us moving forward. Think of nothing else." Emma let out something that might have been a whimper, but before she could speak Regina continued.

"If it helps, focus on moving forward so we can find Henry. That's what I do." And with that Regina fell silent. There was no other noise on the ship, and Emma almost wanted to turn around and check that the others were still alive, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from in front of her into the stifling blackness, her eyes darting around to see if there was anything at all, any kind of light.

And suddenly it cleared, if you could call it that. All of a sudden there was a great rushing, and Emma could see once more the bow of the ship, the water, her hands, and further on into the dark murky waters. But any vision she might have gained was instantly lost when the rain and wind struck.

With a howl, the wind tore through the boat, causing it to rock and sway, tearing at the ratlines, at their clothes, and at their raw faces. The waves, which had been so calm, now loomed up ahead, causing their boat to tilt first up and then down as it crested them. Water sloshed over the deck reaching as high as their knees, and it attempted to pull them overboard as it receded. The rain pelted them like nails, making their already wind-stripped faces cold and wet. Emma clung to the railing, her head reeling and her mind going numb in the freezing rain. All she could hear was the wind and the waves, the rain making angry noises on the deck as it hit. She could distantly hear shouting, but she couldn't make out what it said, and then Regina spoke next to her.

"Now Ms. Swan. Now!" Regina stood beside her, her eyes blazing with purple and her hands outstretched. The waves that loomed overhead parted and the Jolly Roger managed to cut a quick path through it before they fell once more. The waves that rolled over the side of the ship nearly capsized them, but Regina only seemed to be looking forward. Emma turned too to stare as far as she could out into the darkness. Somewhere, Henry was out there, somewhere, being held prisoner. She held up her hands and closed her eyes to feel the current. It was a mess, the water moved without a current, wild and aggressively from all sides. But Emma could feel them moving forward, buffeted as they were. She focused on that, Regina was carving a path for them, and Emma was determined to follow. She began to use the magic to push them, slicing through the water as though it were still and not raging. When Emma opened her eyes, there were indeed moving forward, Regina parting the waves, and Emma cutting through them.

It seemed like they were in the storm for days, with nothing but howling winds and pitch-blackness, and the ever-present wet and cold feeling. Emma couldn't feel her legs or hands, and her teeth chattered, but she didn't dare lower her arms. All she focused on was moving forwards toward Henry. Why hadn't they taken a motorboat? Or submarine? No. Instead they had taken an old fashioned pirates ship that didn't even have bathrooms, and they were in a storm large enough to cut the ship clean in half. But Emma focused on moving the accursed ship forward, and every groan of protest Emma heard from the ship, she gave a growl in response. What felt like several hours later Emma noticed something odd. She had been intent on pushing the boat through the water smoothly, forcing the water to bend around the boat and push it forward. Now, as she felt with her magic, there seemed to be something that made the current distort as it pushed around the boat. Emma realized what it was, and spoke in a hoarse croak.

"Hook! Hook there's a hole in the ship!" She called but didn't look back to see if anyone had heard her. Emma continued to use her magic to push them forward, and shortly she could feel the disturbed flow of the current repair itself, so she knew someone had fixed the hole.

A great clap of thunder echoed, and a flash of lightning illuminated the outline of an island. It was so close. Emma wanted to cheer, but she didn't have any strength left for it. She gave a relieved laugh when another flash of lightening illuminated something else. A gigantic wave coming ever closer until it loomed over all three of the masts. Emma opened her mouth to let out a warning, but before she could say anything, the wave had crashed down onto them.

The force of the water sent Emma flying backwards until she had been immersed in the dark and freezing mass that was the ocean. She could feel the rope around her waist jerk painfully and she realized that she was no longer standing, but floating, still tethered to the mast. Her eyes squeezed shut, her mouth gulping in saltwater, Emma tried to swim upwards, but it felt as though the entire ship had sunken underwater. Noises were muffled, but she could still here the distant crashing of waves and thunder. She could see lights flickering behind her eyelids of the lightning strikes, and she blindly reached out in search of air. Air. She needed oxygen. But then she felt a pulling tug and she could feel the rope slacken. With a rushing noise the water receded from deck and Emma fell, gasping onto the wood surface. Around her, the water was still shin high, but by raising her head Emma could gasp in the freezing air. It felt as though she were inhaling ice. Her entire body felt numb and she couldn't feel her legs as she tried to rise. The icy water rushed over her, seeping over her wet clothes and skin. Gazing towards the bow, Emma noticed that Regina was gone, presumably swept elsewhere, and she began to crawl towards the bow. They needed to move forward.

Another clap of thunder illuminated the island, closer but this time on the port side of the ship instead of straight ahead. Using all of her willpower, Emma focused her energy on the sides of the ship, feeling in the current of the water with her magic for the rudder. It was snapped almost clean off, but Emma tried using her magic to turn the boat back in the direction of the island. Slowly, with the severe currents battling against her, Emma managed to turn the boat more towards portside. She found that by using her own current of magic, finding it with her fingers, she could override the nonsensical current of the ocean waves and force the boat in the direction she desired. This was nothing like what she did with moving the rock, where she altered the current stream to move the rock in the direction she wanted. This was _creating_ the current around the boat to move them forward toward the island. Towards Henry, Emma reminded herself.

It was only when the sound of the storm was drowned out that Emma realized there was something wrong. She could still feel the currents of magic swirling around her strongly, thrumming around herself and the ship. But the sounds of the wind and the waves, the cold feeling of the rain pelting her face, seemed to have been muted. It was as though she could no longer feel anything except for the magic around and within her. The current was growing stronger and stronger, and she could feel her blood pumping furiously in her veins, almost threatening to burst out. Frantically she tried to stop the flow of magic that was coursing through her, but she may as well have tried to stop her heart from beating. Her breathing was coming in short gasps, and she could feel her vision growing blurry, and all she could feel was the rushing of the currents of magic, as they seemed to suck her energy from her.

"Emma! You need to relax and let go. You've used too much magic! Control your emotions!" The voice was so distant, and Emma could barely make out what the person was saying. All of a sudden, her limited vision of the ship disappeared and was replaced with an entirely different image.

It was as though she had suddenly developed tunnel vision, but she could instantly tell that what she was looking at was no longer the ship. A large throne room that was cast in confusing shadows, which appeared to come from all direction. The walls were made of rough-cut stone, but the stone itself seemed to have iridescent particles, so the walls shimmered slightly as she looked around. The only thing in focus was a young boy, bound with arms and legs splayed out so he was forced into a bow with his head outstretched. He was shaking like a leaf, but he issued no sound.

Somewhere on the edge of Emma's vision came a voice, it was high and cold, but there was an eerie way that it did not ring around the vast room, but was muffled instantly.

"Why waste time on such petty matters? If you give me what I desire, I might even consider sparing this boys life." Emma tried to turn her head, but she was unable to, she was unable to look away from the boy. The boy looked up, a trickle of blood running from the corner of his lips. His face flickered in and out of shadow, as though a light was being turned off and on near his face, but there was no mistaking those eyes. Henry.

"Henry!" Emma shouted, as she fell to her knees hard on the water soaked deck. Someone stood beside but, but made no effort to help her up. The magic that Emma had felt consuming her before had disappeared, and now she just felt wet and cold. Blearily, she looked around, aware that her entire body felt as though icy nails were being driven through her skin into her very bones.

The storm had cleared somewhat, and up ahead Emma could clearly make out the island, the dark cloud ending abruptly ahead of them.

"Almost through." Came a hoarse rasp, and Emma raised her head with great effort to find Regina standing beside her. Regina's face was pale and she looked like she was about to faint, but her arms were still raised and she was still leading them forward, breaking the waves.

A few more excruciating seconds, where the rain poured down on them like buckets of ice, and the lurching of the ship made Emma lose any desire to eat for the next year, and they were through. With a sudden woosh, the black cloud was gone, and the ship was slowing to a halt under a cloudless, windless sky, as though it had always been a perfect day.

No one on board seemed very bitter about this though, they had all collapsed where they had stood, sound asleep.


End file.
